Frenetic & Frustrating Qualifying For Rosell And Fores

The Moto2 class was probably the one to suffer most from the inclement conditions at Assen today, where after yesterday’s free practice cancellation the arrival of rain showers this afternoon hampered qualifying. A dry first half to the session saw the decisive series leader Stefan Bradl put the seal on a seventh pole position from seven for the season, although it promises to be another close race whatever happens with the weather.

MAPFRE Aspar rider Xavi Forés enjoyed scant reward for his efforts in improving the chassis set-up of his machine this weekend, the rain halting his progress at the crucial moment. A crash this morning in turn ten made Xavi ride cautiously in the early laps this afternoon and just when he began to push for a fast time it began to rain again. Tomorrow he faces a battle to score points from 24th on the grid. It has been the worst possible weekend for Elena Rosell to make her debut in the Moto2 World Championship, with all of the problems with the track yesterday causing her to crash twice and another crash this morning causing extensive damage to her bike, which the team were unable to repair in time for qualifying this afternoon. As such, she will not be taking part in tomorrow’s Dutch TT.

24º Xavi Forés 1.41.564 (11 laps):
“It was a strange day. I was taking things steady this morning when I hit a patch of the circuit where it was raining and crashed suddenly. I had to slowly build my speed and confidence in the afternoon but we were caught by the rain again, which was bad luck because I felt comfortable and confident of challenging for a place in the top fifteen. We didn’t go out again because I didn’t want to risk another crash but I am happy because we have improved the bike a lot and every time I ride it I get more confidence. I am sure we can have a good race and score points tomorrow.”

Elena Rosell (DNQ):
“We came here to learn and in the little time I was out on track with the other riders I learnt a lot. It is a shame to finish the weekend early but I am leaving with a sweet taste in my mouth and hoping to come back again and do better. I am disappointed because I know I could have done better. The problem is that there were a lot of things against us this weekend and I crashed just when I was improving. I managed eight laps yesterday and ten today and the important thing is that I was improving constantly and getting up to speed with this new category. Everything was new to me this weekend and even though we had no luck the experience was well worth it. I have shown in the little time I had that I am fast despite my inexperience and the fact it has been a difficult weekend for everybody. I feel that if I get another chance one day I will prove that I can be competitive.”

Source: Aspar Media